Naruhina Road to Love
by redbunnyhood87
Summary: In Sakura shinden (light novel), it was mentioned that Naruto and Hinata were hanging out a lot after the war so I made some snippets/stories of those moments. Will take place after the war, during and after the Naruto: The Last movie and probably until their married life. Chapter 1 Of new mission clothes and physical attractions - NARUTO POV I DO NOT OWN NARUTO
1. Chapter 1

Standing on a rooftop facing the Hokage mountain, a teenage shinobi gazed over the entirety of the Hidden Leaf Village, his new black mission coat flattering against the wind, one hand on his hip. A smug smile was grazing his face as if saying, Alright! Bring on the new challenges

 **Of new Mission clothes and Physical Attractions - Naruto Uzumaki**

Heaving in a fresh spring air, a taller, leaner and all grown up Naruto leaped down with a 'Humph!' before landing on his feet, pumping his bandaged fist in excitement. He hadn't been assigned for a mission in a while now so it's an understatement to say that he's overly ecstatic when he got the permission to go for a mission today. He even had a haircut yesterday as to celebrate a fresh start and was looking forward to see how well his prosthetic arm will work. After the great war, the elders and Kakashi always put him under Hokage lessons and some other formal stuffs that require a lot of sitting down, reading and memorizing rules and other legislation to prepare him for his future Hokage duties. He's not complaining though, Naruto had somewhat passed that childish behavior of his and he can say that he had matured quiet a bit, at least compared to his bratty brash happy go lucky young self. One proof that he'd grown up was the fact the he was the earliest of their team to reach the gate, a few minutes earlier than their meeting time.

"Hey, where are you guys?" He muttered, tapping his feet anxiously, fearing that Kakashi might changed his mind and called him off the mission, though it's a bit unlikely but it might happen. Locking his hands behind his head, Naruto felt relived to see two Konoha ninjas coming his way. "Heeyy, Sakura-chan, Sai, you're late!" the blonde called out.

"No, we're not. We're on time. You just came here extra early." Sakura retorted, adjusting the backpack over her shoulder.

"Hehe! That's because I got my new mission clothes today and I'm excited to try them on." Naruto admitted, that excited childish grin of getting something new not leaving him yet.

"Sorry, Naruto-kun." Sai approached the blonde ninja. "Lord Sixth called us on our way here."

"Kakashi-Sensei? What does he wants?" Naruto eyes widened anxiously, fearing to hear some bad news.

"He gave us some back ups." Sakura interrupted. "The initial mission given to us was to rescue a kidnapped young heir which happened to have the key to an ancient family treasure scroll but Kakashi sensei got a follow up report last night that the group of bandits had moved to another hide out. And we are at a lost for their route, so he asked other team to help us."

Naruto felt relived to hear that he will be joining this mission, perking back up as he realized what the pink haired kunoichi just said, "Wait, another team will be joining us for this mission? And who would they be?"

Sakura rolled her eyes, "Stupid, who else could it be? There's only one team who's the most specialized for search and hunt missions."

Naruto tilted his head on the side, contemplating before the answer finally hit him.

Ruff! Ruff!

A dog bark caused Team 7 to turn at its direction.

"Oh, it's Kiba and Akamaru!" Naruto waved as he saw Kiba riding his comrade mut approaching the gate . "Oi Kiba, hurry up! We're leaving!"In a woosh, the man-sized mutt was in front of them, barking as his way of greeting.

"What was that, Naruto?" Kiba muttered, his eyes squint down at the blonde, mentally telling the guy that its not their fault for being late, having called out for a mission in such short notice.

"Yo, about damn time." Naruto raised a brow as his eyes caught a pair of bare arms wrapped around Kiba's waist. "Hmm, is that Hinata?" he inquired, peering over to see the person sitting behind Kiba.

Hinata peeked over Kiba's shoulder, showing her face to Naruto and the rest of team 7 before smiling bashfully as usual. "Good morning." she greeted.

"Yo. It's a been awhile, Hinata." Naruto greeted with a toothy grin.

"Y-Yes, it's been a while." Hinata blushed at the warm welcome, hiding her face back behind Kiba's shoulder. Though she stuttered, unlike before she can now keep her gaze at Naruto for a little longer and resist from fainting anymore. Might be because of her training and their past interactions during Pain's attack, during the great war, at Neji's funeral and the some other times that they bumped into each other while roaming around the village.

"You can get off now, Hinata." That was Kiba, feeling the heat of Hinata's burning face on his back. Being Hinata's childhood friend, he could easily figure out what's going on in the girl's mind.

Naruto, his new hair, and his new mission clothes.

Upon hearing her name, Hinata straightened her back and collected herself, answering a soft "Hai!" before reluctantly got off the mutt.

"Hehe, so we will be teaming up again, huh? This feels like the old times!" Naruto commented, placing his hands again on the back of his head. "Hey, what about Shino? Where is that-" The rest of his words were caught on his throat as he turned towards Hinata who just landed on her feet and was now standing in front of him in

all

her

female

glory.

"Sorry for being late. We just came back last night from another mission so..." Hinata answered, though her words fell on deaf ears as Naruto felt like the world had slowed down around him.

His chest suddenly tightened and he could hear his heart beating hard on his ears at the sight of the Hyuga heiress. Her hair seemed to grow even longer, looking softer than before as it flutters gently against the morning breeze. Her usually pale skin looked a bit pinkish, from her cheeks, her neck, her now bare slender arms down to the little exposed skin of her legs. More importantly, that curve, that womanly curve, it's like one of his sexy jutsu transformation, or even better. Has her body gone through some special training or is it like that all this time? Dammit, why can't he remember? Maybe it's due to the fact that she has been wearing baggy clothes all the time? Yes, it must be that jacket and that calf length pants, that old mission clothes were hiding all this womanly figure all along.

But now this..this is...

Hinata, in her new mission clothes..

"...sick. That's why Shino-kun could not come today." Hinata tilted her head on the side, placing a balled hand over her chest. "Eh is something the matter, Naruto-kun?" she asked, but did not received any response making the others to turn at the blonde ninja. Being wary of the situation, Kiba called out Hinata's attention and gave her some last minute information for their mission, leaving Naruto still in awe. And if it wasn't for an elbow nudging his side ribs, Naruto would not snapped out of his frozen state.

"Hey! What was that for, Sakura-chan?" Naruto whined, clueless of the fact that his friends caught him gawking at the Hyuga brunette.

"I thought you're in a hurry to leave. Wipe that perv look on your face and let's move."

Naruto blushed, "Wh-What!"

"It must be the new mission clothes." Sai suddenly appeared behind the blonde guy, placing his fingers on his chin in contemplation. "I heard that it was specially designed for Hinata-chan so her arms can move freely. Like me, Naruto seemed to first notice how really big Hinata-chan's bosom is."

"E-EH?! What the heck?!" Naruto blushed furiously.

"Am I wrong? But I saw you staring at them just a while a-"

"I wasn't staring!"

"Oh really now." Sai smiled, eyes closed.

"Tha-That's-"

"I'm pretty sure that's what you're staring at-"

"I'm not a pervert, dattebayo!"

"Funny, I did not mention anything about being a perv-"

""Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"

"Don't worry, I've read that it's natural for male as they grow up."

"Waah! You freak!"

Sakura groaned under her breathe. Good thing Hinata could not hear their conversations as Kiba kept her distracted. Just when she thought, her teammates have grown up, here she was listening to Naruto and Sai fought over women's breasts and some other perverted stuff. "Shanaro!" The sound of a fist hitting the ground with a boom, got everyone's attention. "Ne," Sakura dusted her palms together, "Let's go." she said smiling, but it was a creepy 'lets move-or-I-will-shanaro-your-face' kind of smile that had Naruto and Sai nodding obediently. The pink haired konuichi started walking off.

"Hinata, are you sure you don't want to ride on Akamaru?" Kiba offered to her female teammate, knowing the fact that both of them have been walking around since yesterday.

"I'm fine, I can walk, Kiba-kun." The brunette answered, Kiba and his mutt then started walking off ahead.

"Hey, Naruto," Sai whispered, leaning closer to the blonde ninja. "If you walk beside her, it's a good chance to see how big they really are."

Naruto felt his face heating, he wanted to give Sai a taste of his fist but the guy was already jogging away. He is not new to this kind of conversations and teasing since he spent a lot of time with perverted teachers but somehow, this situation is different. He felt different and weird, like something is stirring up inside him. Maybe because...

"Naruto-kun?"

"Hai!" Naruto perked, turning on his heels swiftly with his chest out like a soldier in attention, keeping his gaze above Hinata's head. "W-What is it, Hinata?"

"Let's go."

"Go? With me? Where?" For some reaons, his heart started beating frantically again.

"Ahm, to the mission. The others are already ahead of us."

Naruto blinked, finally gaining control of himself and true enough, he saw the rest of his teammates already retreating. "Ahahaha. To the mission, right!" He laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head.

"I'm going on ahead, Sakura-chan might get angry if we kept them waiting. Ja!"

Naruto nodded as his gaze followed Hinata's form and in a matter of a split second, his sharp eyes noticed how her chest bounced as she jogged off away from him.

 _"If you walk beside her, it's a good chance to see how big they really are."_

PAK!

Naruto slapped his cheeks hard, "What is happening to me? Waahh! I need to focus!" Scratching his head in frustration, Naruto tried to calm himself and if it wasn't for Sakura's angry voice calling him out, he would have not get the strength to follow and join his team.

.

.

o~o

"Byakugan!"

Naruto turned his gaze towards the side and stared at the owner of that sweet voice. He and his team, with the exception of Kiba and Akamaru, were each perched atop tree branches, surveying the surrounding for any trace of their target. And so far, it was only Hinata and Kiba whose been busy and doing the works since they were assigned for tracking down the enemy. Earlier in their journey, Kiba was whining about not having rest yet since he just arrived from a mission last night. Their mission seemed exhausting the fact that Shino got sick aftewards. If that's the case, Hinata might also be exhausted. Though unlike her male teammate, Hinata is not the type to go whining and complaining around. But Naruto was sure that she's also feeling restless.

And so, Naruto got cautious of Hinata's whereabout, following her every moves, looking for any sign of fatigue. Yeah, it might be the reason why he was always staring her way. That, and the fact that he was struck by his budding admiration of her new mission clothes. Though he tried to resist looking at the Hyuga heiress, he failed miserably as he always caught himself drawn to her. He become wary of all of her movements, like the way she tucked her hair behind her ear, the way her eyes narrowed and how closed her fingers are to her lips whenever she whispered her ninjutsu, the way her mouth curved when she talked and the timid way she covered them when she giggled, the way her hips swayed when she walked, the way her arms moved, the way her chest-

"You're staring at them again."

Naruto almost lose his balance on the tree as Sai once again appeared behind him and whispered in an accusing tone. "Bastard~" he muttered between gritted teeth. It seemed that Sai will continue to tease him unless he admits the guy's point true.

But before, he could start another banter, Sai handed him a folded piece of paper. "Here, might help."

"Huh? What's this?" he looked at the paper suspiciously.

Sai just smiled, "The enemy is still nowhere near so Sakura-chan said we can pause and have our lunch. In case you did not hear that because you're too preoccupied with 'spying'."

Naruto grimaces as the guy jumped off the tree and chose not to put more energy on his teasing. Anyway, lunch must be a good idea, it might get his focus back. He looked at the folded paper in his hand and was about to open it when-

"Oi Naruto! What are you still doing up there?! We must finished lunch quick!" Hearing Sakura's voice , Naruto tucked the paper in his pocket and jumped down from the tree to rejoin his team. "Geez, it's not like you to space out like this. What's gotten in to you today?" Sakura asked."

"I'm kinda hungry dattebayo."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "That's more like you."

"Tehe." Naruto scratched the back of his head with an awkward grin as Sakura turned away and sat on a grassy spot to have her lunch, Sai sat beside her. Looking around, Naruto's brow creased as he only found Kiba and Akamaru napping against a tree. "Hm? Where's Hinata?" he asked.

"She said she forgot to bring water, and walked to a nearby river over there." Sakura pointed out a finger to her north.

"I see." For some reasons, Naruto felt a little anxious. A small voice inside his head was telling him to go check out 'the river' but turning back to his teammates, he saw Sai smiling knowingly at him. Grumpily, Naruto decided to sit with them and have his lunch which put a confused look on Sai's pale face. Though it was only for a couple of seconds because Naruto devoured his lunch so fast and quickly stood up.

"Where are you going?" Sakura asked, not surprised to see Naruto finishing his meal in that tremendous speed.

"Taking a leak." he answered, waving up an arm and turning away but not before seeing a glimpse of Sai displaying a coy smile at him again. That bastard. He will deal with him when this mission is over. Naruto took note of that.

Scooting over a big tree, Naruto unzip his pants, sighing as he let out that leak he was holding off.

To be honest, Sai was right. All he did since the start of this mission was gaze off Hinata. He cant quite figure out why though. He's already used to her face, her physique, her voice and everything about her, they were childhood friends for God's sake! But today, there's something about her that made him dazed. Maybe it's the fact that they havent seen each other in awhile. Or maybe it's the new mission clothes, just as what Sai predicted. But Sakura was also wearing a new mission clothes today and he is not gawking at her like what he was doing to Hinata all morning. Maybe he was so used to seeing Sakura in sleeveless and shorts that's why he's not impressed by her new mission clothes anymore.

Impressed?

That must be it. He might just be impressed by how Hinata changed from being shy and fully covered to being a little...confident, more mature Hinata.

Hinata...

Mature Hinata~...

Naruto shook his head furiously, trying to rid the perverted thoughts forming on his mind. He quickly zipped his pants up and prepared to walk off but something, or someone caught his eyes. Not far away from him, he saw Hinata sitting on the river bank. Her boots were laying neatly on the side as she dipped her legs on the water, reaching down to massage her aching foot. She then took a handful of water on both hands and splash them on her face. Sighing in relief, her left hand moved to wipe the cold liquid off her face, swiping some droplets down her collarbone and dragging her palm to the back of her nape, moving her head around slowly to ease some tensed muscle on her neck.

Naruto gulped, and like a magnet, he found himself once again drawn and was already walking towards her. "Yo."Naruto saw the girl jerked in surprised at his sudden presence and mentally slapped himself for making so.

"N-Naruto-kun!"

"Ah, sorry Hinata. Did I startle you?" He smiled apologetically, one finger scratching an invisible itch on his cheeks.

Hinata nodded a little. "It's fine, I got a little dazed and could not sense any presence around me. If it were the enemy, I must have been captured by now. I'm sorry too."

"Hm, are you alright?" He asked, tone laced with concern as he noticed the tiredness on her voice.

"Hai, my feet is a little sore but I'm alright."

Naruto place his hands on his pockets. "Don't push yourself so hard, I can also track down enemy's chakra, you know?"

"Yes, indeed. If I cannot use my Byakugan anymore, I'll ask Naruto-kun for help. Thank you, Naruto-kun."

Naruto got lost for words as Hinata smiled at him with that freshly washed face of her. Cute is totally an understatement, God, she was shining and he almost had to go sage mode to get enough strength he needed to turn his head away. He felt her going back to what she was doing so he chanced a glance at her again and as good timing granted, he saw her wiping some droplets of water on the chest part of her blouse.

 _"...it's a good chance to see how big they really are."_

A hot steam exploded in his head so he quickly knelt down on one knee and grabbed a handful of cold water, splashing them on his face, repeating the process several times until he successfully cool down the heat crawling up his cheeks. "Ah! Feels good~." He finally sighed in relief.

"Naruto-kun, you have to pull your sleeves up or it'll be wet," Hinata commented.

"Aah, crap! Why didn't you tell me that before, Hinata? It's my new mission clothes, dattebayo?!" Naruto frantically waved the water off his sleeves, making a silly face which made Hinata giggle. Naruto pouted a little before laughing at his own mishap. The first real laugh he had today.

"Hai," Hinata extended a hand to the blonde ninja and though confuse, Naruto stretched his arms towards her. Scooting closer, Hinata reached for the sleeves of his left arm and started folding them. Naruto's gaze followed what she was doing.

Hinata has such tiny hands, it was a wonder to him how she managed to fight off enemies with those caring and gentle hands. Her touch was so light that Naruto wanted to grab that hand and feel her palm just to try to understand his logic. She would make a good wife, he thought, smiling genuinely.

"...y-your new mission clothes, they looked really g-good on you."

Naruto glanced down at her, he sensed her muttering something but did not quite hear them. "What was that?"

Hinata jerked, rolling the guy's sleeves faster as she realized that she had said something embarrassing, "N-Nothing!."

"Say that again~?" Naruto finally looked down, moving his face closer to her with prying eyes.

"I-It's really nothing." This time, Hinata looked up at him with a sheepish smile.

"Come on, you can tell me you know." Naruto pouted, making Hinata giggle at his expression and soon he was also chuckling with her.

"Naruto-kun looks cute."

"You are cute too, Hinata."

"..."

"..."

Realizing that they just spoke their minds out loud, Naruto and Hinata turned at each other and met each other's surprised gazes. And it's as if the world froze before them. Naruto could feel his face heating up but it was lke a universal pull jutsu was casted upon him, he could not take his eyes off of Hinata's face. Not now when he could finally see her this close. His eyes quickly scanned Hinata's features, her small face, that strands of silky hair on her forehead, that pearl eyes staring wide at him, the red blush staining her cheeks, that pert nose, and down to the small, soft luscious lips that he suddenly wants to-

"Ah! There you are!" Sai's abrupt appearance from behind the bushes causes the two ninjas to jump apart, faces still red. "Sakura asked me to fetch you up. We have to leave." he informed, smiling with his eyes closed casually.

"Hai,"Hinata quickly gathered her boots, excusing herself with a slight bow before taking off. Naruto let out the breathe that he didnt know he was holding off, turning around he found Sai and quickly wished he didn't.

"Tehehe."...

Naruto palmed his face. Alright, you win.

.

.

"Naruto, I told you we have to be quick right?" Sakura said as Sai and the blonde ninja in question rejoined them.

"Sorry about that, Sakura chan." Naruto placed his palms together in front of him in an attempt to have forgiveness, grinning toothily. "I'm fully recharge now, I won't be spacing out again tebayo!" he declared, confident at his new found energy.

"I do hope so, our enemy was able to attack a heavily guarded family so we can't be negligent of their capacity. Kiba and Hinata were already exhausted, our main priority was the hostage but if possible, we can't let those two engage in the fight ..so we're counting on you, Naruto."

"Hai! Leave it to me!" Naruto responded. He turned at the members of team 8, or more specifically at Hinata.

The Hyuuga heiress was asking Kiba if he's feeling alright to which the guy replied with a grumpy nod, stretching his back. Hinata then petted Akamaru, telling the mutt to hang on a little bit more, and that they can do it, the mutt then replied with a positive bark, feeling recharge with the heiress gentle touch. "Let's do our best for Shino-kun." she said, smiling at her teammates.

The kindness in her smile warmed Naruto's heart. And it that moment, he realized the answer as to why he suddenly became so drawn to her. He balled his hand and brought his arm in front of him, looking down at the neatly folded sleeves of his coat. Sakura then noticed him staring at his left arm. She thought that he might be having a hard time folding the other sleeve and offered to roll them for him. But Naruto shook his head lightly and looked at the person who folded that sleeve.

"Nah, I prefer it like this," he answered with that familiar mischievous grin of his. Heaving in a deep breathe, Naruto slammed his bandaged knuckles to his left palm, "Alright! Let's go!" He said with great vigor, making everyone looked at him as he leap off ahead with a confident side smirk.

Sakura was left puzzled on her feet.

"It must be the new mission clothes." Sai spoke from behind the pink haired konuichi, startling her.

"Why do you always have to pop out of nowhere?!" Sakura groaned but Sai just smiled and said,

"It really is because of the new mission clothes."

* * *

Edited. First time writing Naruto series...

Chapter 2 Of new mission clothes and physical attractions - Hinata POV

Chapter 3 Of new mission clothes and physical attractions - (Conclusion)

PLEASE REVIEW it helps! :)


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry for the delay. I am writing this during office lunch breaks. Yes, I'm already a working adult. So please bear with the slow updates.

Anyway, this chap is a retelling of the first one but in Hinata's POV. But I promise that the arc will move on and will be concluded on the next chap. And don't worry this split POVs won't happen in the next arcs of this one shot series. I just wanted to make this a smooth flow like what Naruto said The Last movie, it takes time to convey someone's feelings so I don't want to rush things. This is Naruhina Road to Love, so just sit back and enjoy.

I think I've mentioned that this is my first Naruto fanfic but I'm not a new author in this site. I actually had an old account under a different username since 2010 and wrote 2 stories for IchiRuki (Bleach) but could not edit/finished them because for the love of all good and evil, I could not remember the email address I've used for that account. So if anyone knows how to retrieve an old account, please let me know.

SORRY for the rant. Here is the chap. Preview of the next chap on the end AN

* * *

.

A bird flapped its wings and flew high above the Konoha village, making a teenage konuichi to look up at the sky. Her long black hair swayed gently against the soft morning breeze and as her gentle pearl eyes followed the bird's peaceful voyage, she smiled.

 **Of new Mission clothes and Physical Attractions - Hinata Hyuga**

Tucking a hair on the side of her face, Hinata let out in a deep breathe. After arriving from a mission last night, Kiba informed him the Sixth Hokage, former sensei, Kakashi-sama, asked them a favor to join Team 7 for today's mission. Though the Hokage apologized for the short notice, still Shino could not make it. The insect summoner ninja was too sick, the nurse advised that he be out for today's mission in order to recuperate fast and not to get the others sick as well. Taking a mental note to visit her teammate after the mission, Hinata let out dignified huff, "Alright, I can do this."

.

Arf! Arf!

Hinata turned to see her teammates, Kiba and Akamaru, coming her way.

"Good morning, Kiba-kun, Akamaru." she greeted with a smile.

"Ah good morning, Hinata." Kiba replied with a yawn.

"Are you alright, Kiba-kun?"

"There was a newborn calves in our farm, Mom asked me to check up on them all night." Kiba massaged his left shoulder, easing the tense muscles. "So much for a relaxing sleep after mission, eh."

"Sorry to hear that." Hinata petted Akamaru who was whimpering softly. "Anyway, this is a B rank mission, right? And Sakura and Sai are with us so hopefully we can finish this mission fast." Hinata gave them a reassuring smile. Although, she herself did not have enough sleep she still maintain to be lively for the sake of her teammates. Besides, she doesn't want to be a burden to Team 7, who was primarily assigned for this mission. Since they specialized with search and hunt, the Hokage asked them to assist Sakura and Sai.

As for Naruto, Hinata heard that he was undergoing Hokage lessons with the elders and Lord Sixth and that he was not been sent in a mission ever since. Naruto had already proven himself many many times that he could do and pass any missions, so they wanted him to just focus on studying for his future Hokage duties. Though, Hinata wished she could go on a mission with Naruto, perhaps one last time before he became the Hokage.

Naruto...as the Hokage.

A pink blush appeared on her face as she imagined the blonde ninja standing in front of the Konoha villagers, showcasing his infamous grin as the Hokage robe flattered behind him. He must looked really cool.

"Oi, Hinata~" There was impatience on Kiba's tone as he called for her attention. "Are you ready to go?" The Hyuga heiress perked, nodding before climbing up the mutt.

.

.

.

When they neared the entrance, Kiba raised an eyebrow as he caught sight of not just two but three ninjas already waiting at them at the gate, with that familiar blonde mob of hair waving and yelling out something. "Hinata, hang on tight." The guy gave Akamaru a slight nudged and before Hinata could reply, the mutt almost flew his way to the main gate. The Hyuga heiress was disconcerted with the sudden speed, she held onto Kiba for dear life and before she knew it, Akamaru had already halted. Her head spun a little. "What was that...Naruto?"

Though still a little lightheaded, Kiba's words struck Hinata. The name of the guy in question was too special for her, it wouldn't go unheard. Did he say...

"Yo, about damn time."

Hinata felt her heart spiked a thousand beats per second as she heard that voice she was longing to hear for a while now.

 _Naruto-kun? Why is he here? I thought he won't be joining any missions due to his Hokage lessons. The last time I saw him was when he's still at the hospital. I heard he had prosthetic arms now, I wanted to see them but never get the chance to-"_

"Hmm, is that Hinata?" Naruto inquired, peering over to see the person sitting behind Kiba.

Hinata's internal blabbering got interrupted as she heard her name being spoken. She nervously peeked over Kiba's shoulder, and managed to put on a smile. "Good morning," she greeted, but her eyes slowly widened at the sight before her.

"Yo. It's a been awhile, Hinata."

Naruto, the village's hero, the center of her affection since time immemorial was standing there, with that warm mischievous grin of his, with that **clean hair cut** and with that **new mission clothes**. It's like a new but same Naruto. She can't quiet explain it but she felt her heart beating frantically more than ever. Naruto looked so dreamy, it's a sight to behold.

Naruto's new look was too much, Hinata had to hide her face back behind Kiba to try to calm herself down and not faint. "Y-Yes, it's been a while." she answered, trying hre best not to lose consciousness. Thank God for those intense training and their past interactions during Pain's attack, during the great war, at Neji's funeral and the some other times that they bumped into each other while roaming around the village, she's able to control herself not to faint anymore whenever his around her.

Still...

Kiba felt the intense heat of Hinata's burning face on his back. Being her childhood friend and teammate, he could easily figure out what's going on in the girl's mind.

Naruto, his new hair, and his new mission clothes.

Because of that, Kiba felt a little skeptic about Hinata's well being during this mission, he just wished she could keep up and not faint on them since she will be around her longtime crush. His thoughts were interrupted though as he heard a determined huff from behind him and figure out that the Hyuga heiress was finally able to calm herself. "You can get off now, Hinata." he said.

"Hai!" The konuichi responded, a little too quirky causing Kiba to smirk.

Still a bit reluctant, Hinata moved to get off from Akamaru's back. Thank God, her knees didn't buckle as she landed on the ground.

"Hehe, so we will be teaming up again, huh? This feels like the old times!" Naruto commented, placing his hands again on the back of his head. "Hey, what about Shino? Where is that-" The rest of his words were caught on his throat as he turned towards Hinata who just landed on her feet and was now standing in front of him in her all her female glory.

"Sorry for being late. We just came back last night from another mission so we didn't have much time to prepare..." Hinata trailed on, wary of the fact the her words were falling on deaf ears as Naruto stood in front of her as if he was struck by a lightning. "...sick. That's why Shino-kun could not come today." Hinata suddenly got confused. "Eh, what's the matter, Naruto-kun?" she asked, tilting her head on the side. Naruto's lack of response made the others to turn at him and it was Kiba and Sai who realized what was happening. The two guys shared a look.

'So, he wasn't that dense after all,' Kiba thought, smirking at the site of the stunned ninja. He knew that look. He actually kind of reacted a wee bit the same way as the blonde the first time he saw Hinata in her new mission clothes the other day. But unlike the blonde, he was not gawking at her like an idiot. It seemed that Hinata won't be the one who will have a hard time on this mission, but Naruto.

"Ah, Hinata, could you come here for a minute?" Kiba called, becoming a little protective of his teammate.

"Hai." Hinata threw one concerned glanced at Naruto before jogging towards the guy. 'I wonder what's gotten into him all of a sudden,' she thought before turning her full attention to what Kiba was saying.

"Ah, Hinata, if you want we can take turns on riding Akamaru so we can atleast save our energy." the guy offered, knowing that both of them have been walking around since yesterday. But Hinata took his offer down nicely.

"It's fine, I can walk. Besides, Akamaru-chan also have to regain his strength."

"Nah, Akamaru would gladly have you on his back. Right Akamaru?"

"Arf! Arf!" the mutt responded, earning a giggle from the Hyuga heiress when suddenly-

"Shanaro!"

The sound of a fist hitting the ground with a boom, got everyone's attention. "Ne," Sakura dusted her palms together, "Let's go?" she said smiling, but it was a creepy 'lets move-or-I-will-shanaro-your-face' kind of smile that had Naruto and Sai nodding obediently. The pink haired konuichi started walking off.

Though a little confused at Sakura's sudden outburst, Hinata felt relived to see that Naruto was responding, or to put specifically, bantering with his pale skinned teammate. She smiled, a soft feeling of nostalgia made her heart flutter. This was her first mission with Naruto after a long while, so she will do her very best. Kiba asked him one last time if she'll be fine walking and Hinata answered him with a positive reply.

.

"Hey, Naruto," Sai whispered, leaning closer to the blonde ninja. "If you walk beside her, it's a good chance to see how big they really are." he added. And before Naruto could give him a taste of his fist, Sai walked over to the Hyuga heiress. "Hinata-chan, you're new mission clothes, they looked very..'different'." he commented, emphasizing the last word with a smile.

'I-Is that a compliment?' Hinata asked herself, smiling sheepishly as the guy walked ahead. She was about to follow him but noticed that Naruto was still standing behind. "Naruto-kun?"

"Hai!" the blonde stiffened, turning around in a swift move with his chest out like a soldier in attention, keeping his gaze above Hinata's head. "W-What is it, Hinata?"

"Let's go."

"Go? With me? Where?"

Hinata glanced on the side. "Ahm, to the mission. The others are already ahead of us."

Naruto blinked, turning to see the rest of his teammates already retreating. "Ahahaha. To the , I figured."

Hinata blinked as Naruto laughed, scratching the back of his head in embarrasment. "I'm going on ahead, Sakura-chan might get angry if we kept them waiting. Ja!"

She saw him nodding at her but felt a little concerned at how his gaze suddenly flickered into something she can't quite point out. And that made her kind of thought that something might be bothering the blonde ninja. He looked unease. If so, maybe she could asked him later on so she can somehow offer help.

Can she?

.

.

.

"Byakugan!"

Hinata activated her jutsu for the nth time as she and her team tried to find a group of hostage takers that captured a young heir from a rich clan back in Konoha. Earlier, she and Kiba have sensed some presence nearby but for some reasons, it vanished as quickly as it appeared. It was almost noontime, and she was still unsuccessful with locating the bandits. For a B rank mission, this was getting way more frustrating than they thought. Hinata squinted her eyes even more, pushing her sight to move a few kilometers more than she had ever did before. She's getting a little anxious since morning, not only because of her task but also...

Hinata gulped, rubbing her eyes as she tried to stay focused on her task but a pair of peering eyes staring at her was making her nervous and more specially conscious. Since morning, she could feel Naruto's intense gaze behind her. She dared to look back at him one time to see if he really was staring at her, but Naruto quickly looked away, with an almost snob look on his face. Embarrassed and confused, Hinata kept her gaze away from the blonde ninja. But that was becoming harder and harder for her as she, once again, felt his gaze on her while they were perched on a tree. Being stared while she's using her Byakugan made her very uncomfortable and nervous especially if it's Naruto, her lifetime crush, the one she admired the most.

It was the first time that the blonde shinobi had actually paid her these much attention and ignored her at the same time. Did he want to tell her something? Maybe he noticed something about her hair, or maybe it was her face, she might've looked stressed. Or could it be...

 _"Hinata-chan, you're new mission clothes, they looked very...'different'."_

Hinata recalled what Sai had said about her new attire. Feeling unease, she deactivated her Byakugan and looked down at her oufit. 'So it really wasn't a compliment?' Hinata mulled, a cloud looming above her head.

"I think we should take a break." A voice behind her said, causing the brunette to look over her shoulder. Feeling the Hyuga's tiredness, Sakura gave Hinata a small nod, as if telling her that it's okay to rest, to which Hinata responded with a nod of agreement. As the two konuichi leap down from the tree, Hinata threw a quick glance at Naruto who was having a conversation with Sai still up at the tree. She saw Sai handing out a paper to Naruto and for some reasons that made her felt nervous.

"I saw a river nearby. I forgot to bring some water so I'll just go get some," Hinata squeaked, walking hurriedly.

"O-Okay," Sakura blinked, a little surprise at the urgency on Hinata's voice. As the Byakugan eyed girl disappear into the trees, Sakura looked around and saw Kiba and Akamaru already relaxing themselves on a tree, taking a quick nap. She then heard someone landing beside her and asked, "Where's Naruto?"

With a smile etched on his face, Sai pointed a finger up.

"Oi Naruto! What are you still doing up there?! We must finished lunch quick!"

Hearing Sakura's voice , Naruto tucked the paper that Sai gave to him into his pocket and jumped down from the tree to rejoin his team.

"Geez, it's not like you to space out like this. What's gotten in to you today?" Sakura asked.

"I'm kinda hungry dattebayo."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "That's more like you,"

"Tehe." Naruto just answered with an awkward laugh as Sakura turned away and sat on a grassy spot to have her lunch, Sai sat beside her. He looked around and found only two members of Team 8 napping against a tree. "Hm? Where's Hinata?".

.

.

Brushing some bushes out of the way, Hinata finally reached the river. Setting her bag on the grass, she then removed her boots and placed them beside it. She continued on her way to the river and dipped her legs on the water. She sighed at the touch of cold water against her sore feet. She was restless, and her Byakugan was already at its limit, but she wouldn't tell anyone about it. They were specifically summoned and were expected to help in this mission in the first place. And besides she doesn't want to be a burden to the team specially Naruto is with them.

'Naruto-kun.

Speaking of the blonde shinobi, Hinata couldn't help but felt a little down at their interaction (or lack thereof) since morning. She wanted to look more at him in his new uniform but she can't just do it. Naruto seemed to be in a very good mood today, but since he saw her, in her new mission clothes, he seemed a little awkward and avoided eye contact, but Hinata was sure that he was staring at her whenever she's not occupied with something. It's as if he wanted to tell her something. Hinata contemplated.

Sai was right, her new gear was totally different from her usual attire, which was always a pair of calf length jeans and a jacket or long coat. Maybe she shouldn't have let Hanabi to tweak the design of her new gear. She shouldn't have agreed to wear them but Hanabi was too persistent, making her feel guilty for not wearing something that was especially made for her. That little sister of her was full of mischief and Hinata was none the wiser. For the first time, she agreed on wearing something that showed some skin!

The thought made Hinata more conscious than before, thinking that Naruto, again her lifetime crush, the one she admired the most, might be displeased with her new clothes. And that he was trying to tell her just that, but could not find a better way to approach her. Even if he was a blunt guy, Naruto was always considerate of other people's feelings. He just wouldn't walked to her and tell her how terrible her outfit was. Sai gave him a paper, maybe he wanted Naruto to write it down on a note and gave it to her so that the other's won't hear it.

Hinata felt an itch in her eyes and shook the warm tears that started to form on them. This is not the time to sulk about something so trivial. She's a ninja on a mission, duties first above all else.

As she reached down to massage her aching foot, Hinata stared at her reflection on the water. But instead of seeing a tired face, images of herself fighting Pain flashed before her eyes, and what caught her attention was what she was wearing on her face the moment she first confessed. Hinata scooped a handful of water on her hands and splashed them on her face.

That's right. It's not a matter of what she wear. It's a matter of becoming confident.

As the water trailed down her face and neck, Hinata held her head high, pure resolved awakening. She must not be swayed by her trivial thoughts, she had promised herself that she will be more confident and she will do just that!

"Yo." That all too familiar voice suddenly came and made Hinata jerked.

"N-Naruto-kun!" she squeaked, her voice (and her resolve) cracking a little.

"Ah, sorry. Did I startle you?" Naruto smiled apologetically, one finger scratching an invisible itch on his cheeks.

Hinata nodded a little. "It's fine, I was dozing off and could not sense any presence around me. If it were the enemy, I must have been captured by now. Sorry about that."

"Hm, are you alright?" he asked, creasing his brows in concern as he noticed the tiredness on her voice.

"Yes, my feet is a little sore but I'm alright." Hinata replied, turning her gaze back at her soaked legs, contemplating on what to say next. But then Naruto said something that warmed her heart.

"Don't push yourself so hard." Naruto placed his hands on his pockets. "I can also track down enemy's chakra, you know?"

Moved by his concern, Hinata pushed all her petty thoughts away and gave him a sincere smile. "Yes, indeed. If I cannot use my Byakugan anymore, I'll ask Naruto-kun for help. Thank you, Naruto-kun."

That's right, if Naruto could be honest then she too must be able to be honest with him. Deciding that this was her chance to confirm her predicaments and ask him what he really thinks about her new mission clothes, Hinata opened her mouth to say something but the blonde shinobi suddenly looked away, giving her second thoughts as well. Maybe it's better to delay the question after the mission, it was a petty issue anyway. Hinata made a mental note, returning to wash her face again. As she scooped up some water again, drops fell down her blouse and she absentmindedly wiped them off her chest. A loud splashes of water came beside her, it was Naruto washing his face with a frantic manner as if his eyes was on fire or something. Hinata blinked, watching as the guy finally sighed in relief.

"Ah, feels good~"

"Naruto-kun, you have to pull your sleeves up or it'll be wet," Hinata commented after his careless stunt.

"Aah, crap! Why didn't you tell me that before, Hinata? It's my new mission clothes, dattebayo?!" Naruto frantically waved the water off his sleeves, making a goof out of himself. Hinata let out a giggle. Naruto might not know it, but he always had the power to erase her worries away. And for that she's happy.  
"Hai," she said, extending a hand at the blonde looked confuse but still stretched his arms towards her. Scooting closer, Hinata reached for his left sleeves and started folding them. A comfortable silence fell upon them. And as Hinata worked her hands on the black fabric, she glanced at Naruto's uniform and said, "Y-Your new mission clothes, they looked really g-good on you."

"What was that?"

Hinata tensed, rolling the guy's sleeves faster as she realized that she had said something embarrassing, "N-Nothing!."

"Say that again~?" Naruto peered down, moving his face closer to her with prying eyes.

"I-It's really nothing." This time, Hinata looked up at him with a sheepish smile.

"Come on, you can tell me you know." Naruto pouted, making her giggle at his expression and soon he was also chuckling with her.

"Naruto-kun looks cute."

"You are cute too, Hinata."

"..."

"..."

Realizing that she just spoke her mind out loud, Hinata looked up and saw that Naruto had the same surprised gaze. And it's as if the world froze before them. Hinata could feel her face heating up to the extent that she might lose consciousness. However, she for the first time in her life, she withstand the embarrassment and kept her gaze on Naruto's face. She had never seen his face this clear and this close before. Naruto's face had grown from a cute little boy to a young handsome man, with blonde locks of him, that mesmerizing cerulean eyes, that pointed nose and those unique whiskers on his cheeks, that strong jaw that reduced the roundness of his face and finally those lips that never fail to give her encouragement. Those lips that she had always longed to-

"Ah! There you are!" Sai's abrupt appearance from behind the bushes causes the two ninjas to jump apart, faces burning red. "Sakura asked me to fetch you up. We have to leave." he informed, smiling with his eyes closed casually.

"Hai,"Hinata quickly gathered her stuffs, excusing herself form the other two ninjas before taking off. Her heart was pounding so hard against her chest like it was about to jump off any minute.

 _'I told him he's cute! I told him he's cute! I actually said it!'_ Hinata hugged her bag tighter against her chest, beaming at her new found confidence. When she rejoined the group, a wide smile was etched on her face. Naruto and Sai arrived a seconds later. Hinata watched as Sakura lightly scolded Naruto and she was glad and relieved to see the blonde ninja returning back to his normal lively self. And as she turned towards her original teammates, Naruto turned to look at her.

"Are you feeling better, Kiba-kun?"

"Haaii~" The guy replied, still a little less enthusiastically.

"Just hang on a little longer, okay? We can do this." Hinata petted Akamaru and the mutt replied with a positive bark. "Let's do our best for Shino-kun." she said, earning a nod of agreement from her two teammates. Unknown to her, Naruto had seen that gentle moment and it ignited his spirit.

"Alright!" Naruto said with a dignified tone, making all the members of the team to look at him. "Let's go!" He smirked, leaping off ahead with great vigor. Hinata nodded to her teammates and the three of them followed suit.

.

"Alright, was that all about?" Sakura asked to no one in particular, not noticing the guy was still standing behind her.

"It must be the new mission clothes." Sai spoke from behind the pink haired konuichi, startling her.

'Why do you always have to pop out from nowhere?!" Sakura yelled but Sai just smiled and said,

'It really is because of the new mission clothes."

* * *

THANKS TO Cecillia90, Ravenshadow, mellyd, qyu, guest1 and L for your reviews and to those who followed and liked this story. Hope you stick around!

 **NEXT CHAP!**

 **"WATCH OUT!"**

 **Naruto's nose was inch away from being sliced by a sharp boomerang flying past him, with only his body reflex acting in a flinch. "What the-?!" Looking ahead of him, he saw five people, the bandits scowling at them and preparing for another attack.**

 **.**


	3. Chapter 3

"WATCH OUT!"

Naruto's nose was inch away from being sliced by a sharp boomerang flying passed him, with only his body reflex acting in a flinch. "What the-?!" Looking ahead of him, he saw five people, scowling at them and preparing for another attack.

.

.

 **Chapter 3 Of new mission clothes and physical attractions - Conclusion**

 **.**

The sun was already setting on the background and the five ninjas from Konoha were still out of luck in finding the bandits who took hostage of a young boy from a wealthy clan back at their village. Naruto fisted his hands, he did not want this mission to take any longer, given that it was just a B rank. However, to everyone's dismay and confusion, those bandits were good at hiding. Earlier along their way, Akamaru could traced the scent of the boy through the coat that was given to them by Kakashi, and Kiba confirmed it. But Hinata could not see anyone around. The Hyuga heiress said she had pushed her Byakugan up to 20km ahead but there's nobody on sight. Naruto also sensed some presence a while ago but to his frustration, he too cannot pinpoint where exactly were the enemies. It's kind of frustrated everyone, especially Naruto.

But his frustrations were not totally about their bad luck in finding the enemy. He started to get upset as he noticed Hinata rubbing her tired eyes out, careful not to let anyone notice her discomfort, but not Naruto though. Since he was keeping his eyes on her, the blonde shinobi could see that she's overusing her Byakugan and her chakra was running out as well.

"Guys, we should call it a day and camp here," Naruto suggested and heard a sigh came from behind him.

"I think you're right. We have to let Kiba and Hinata rest." Sakura agreed, throwing a concerned glance at Team 8.

"Yeah, I really think we should. Alright, you three can rest for now. Will keep watch as you do." Kiba shrugged at Naruto, giving him a thankful nod before he and his mutt went to rest on a corner. Hinata, on the other hand, looked sulky, thinking that she was not really of help, yet Team 7 was very considerate. Her heavy sigh did not escaped Naruto, so he walked over the Hyuga heiress, a concerned look on his face. "Are you alright, Hinata?"

"Yes! I'm alright!" Hinata squeaked, giving him an awkward smile. That did not convinced the blonde though.

"You've been using your Byakugan for days, you really need to rest. I'll take it from here." Naruto gave her a toothy grin which faded gradually as he saw the brunette was still in a sulky mood. "Hey, don't think that you're holding out this mission, you've been doing all the work so far. You're doing great." And still looking great, he wanted to add.

Hinata blushed. His kind and reassuring words never failed to melt her heart. Just knowing that Naruto thinks positive of her was enough to wash her tiredness away. "Thank you, Naruto-kun." She smiled, genuinely this time. The slight gesture causing Naruto to scratch his neck, a light tinge on his cheeks. Hinata then walked towards a tree and settled there, Naruto's gaze never leaving her.

"Smooth~.." a voices cooed behind Naruto and as he turned around he found Sai 'smiling' at him. "That was a smooth move, Naruto-kun. I'm sure that impressed Hinata-chan."

"You..I'm not trying to impress her, you know?" Naruto waved his hand dismissively, picking up some woods to start a bonfire as it finally gets dark. "They really need to rest. And why do you think I was trying to impress Hinata, huh?"

Sai followed what the blonde was doing. "Ah, nothing. I was just curious."

"About what exactly?" Naruto placed a hand on his hip, holding up a small log on the other.

"Well," Sai looked up in contemplation. "I thought you like Sakura-chan cause you were always trying to get her attention before. But since you saw Hinata-chan this morning, you looked like you are, what was that word again?" Naruto tried to ignore the guy by distracting himself, stacking up woods on his arms until Sai finally remembered the word. "Lovestruck."

".!" The woods fell from Naruto's arms and struck his foot. "Aw! Aw! Aw!" he yelped, hopping on one foot while nursing the other.

"Ah sorry." Sai chuckled as the blonde ninja glared at him, pouting and blushing.

Did he hit a nail?

"I think these are enough." Sai suggested, gathering up the woods on the ground. "Anyway, did you check the paper I gave you?", he asked but Naruto just "Hmp!", strengthening his back with a serious look on his face. That was a sign for Sai to stop his teasing, knowing full well that Naruto was someone you DONT want to mess with. The pale skinned shinobi started to walk towards their camp, Naruto following quietly behind him.

.

.

 _'Lovestruck, huh.'_ Naruto repeated mentally as he sat in front of their camp fire. He was not that familiar with the word, but it sure did have an impact on him. If the word meant staring at someone all the time, then he sure seemed lovestruck at Hinata. But isn't it the same as spying on an enemy? Looking at your enemy and staring at them during a battle is very crucial. If so, then does it mean that he was also lovestruck with the enemy. Naruto groaned, that sounded really weird because there's the word 'love' in it.

Maybe, he needed another example like...ramen!

Naruto's face lit up.

That's right. When eating a ramen, you also stared at it. If that's the case then he was lovestruck with Hinata the same way as he was lovestuck with ramen. The longer you stared at them, the more you become happier and more excited to eat-

Wait, that didn't sound any less weird.

Naruto scratched his head, glancing at Sakura who seemed to be having a deep thought. Sai sat across him, busying himself with his sketchbook, probably doodling. Behind him, Kiba and Akamaru already made themselves comfortable and were past asleep. And in one corner, there was Hinata.

 _'Ah, look at her, so fragile.'_ Naruto thought.

"Ahem." The sound of someone clearing his throat made Naruto to turn his attention to Sai who was smiling at him, showing him a quick sketch he made of some trees and mountains. The guy tapped his pen on the book as if asking Naruto to check something. The blonde ninja then figured that Sai was probably asking him to check the paper he gave him this morning. Reaching on his pocket, Naruto took out the folded paper and as he was about to flip it open -

"WATCH OUT!"

Naruto's nose was inch away from being sliced by a sharp boomerang flying passed him, with only his body reflex acting in a flinch. "What the-?!" Looking ahead of him, he saw five people, scowling at them and preparing for another attack.

.

Seconds earlier...

Sakura saw Akamaru suddenly perking up from his sleep as if sensing something and while Naruto and Sai were occupied, she saw a portal opening not far from them and with it came five people. The group of bandits. One of the enemy made eye contact with Sakura and before either of them could recover from the shock, someone from the enemy side quickly threw a boomerang towards the Konoha ninjas.

.

"WATCH OUT!" Sakura shouted, jumping off and landing on a fighting stance. The boomerang didn't hit anyone though and made its way rustling some trees all the way back to its owner. The commotion woke Kiba and Hinata and the two quickly stood up.

"What the-" Naruto stood in alert, seeing five people glaring at them. One of them was carrying a boy in his arms while the others were equipped with big ninja tools. It is obvious that these are the bandits that they were looking for the whole day. With the advantage of having tools made for attacking continuously from a distance, the enemy did not waste another second to throw another attack at them. As the the Konoha ninjas dodged the attacks, the enemies started running away again. Sai then summoned one of his drawn beast. The paper-like monster deflected the flying weapons, giving the other ninjas to go after the bandits.

"Shanaro!" Sakura used her one shot punch, causing a large crack on the ground and successfully separating their enemies apart. Since she saw one of them can open a portal, it is best to have them separated to stop them from escaping. The one using the boomerang was already being confronted by Sai.

"Naruto, I saw them coming from a portal. It seemed that one of them can open a dimension and travel through it." Sakura yelled.

' _So that's why we could not find them. They're travelling from place to place using a dimension portal.'_ Naruto figured, eyes narrowing.

A female bandit landed in front of Sakura, halting her from chasing the others. "Guys, the boy is our priority. Make sure his safe!" Sakura called out, preparing to battle her enemy.

"Got it!" Naruto, Hinata and Kiba who was riding Akamaru were chasing after the 2 enemies, one of them was carrying the kidnapped boy. A chain shot towards them and circled on Akamaru's feet, pulling the two out from the chase.

"Kiba-kun!" Hinata halted, motioning to help her teammates.

"Go, we'll take on this one!" Kiba said. Hinata nodded and continue her pursuit.

Naruto scowled, knowing that he could not take any drastic force to stop the enemy unless he got a hold of the boy. And as he kept on trailing them, one of the bandits turned at him, hands formed into a seal. A thick wall suddenly rose from the ground, Naruto lifted his prosthetic arm backwards and destroyed it with a punch. The bandit's eyes widened in fear as he saw the blonde ninja bursting out from the ruble with his fist coming at his face.

"Move!" Naruto growled, stopping his fist just an inch away from the bandit's face. The air pressure was so strong, it send the guy flying few meters away. The last bandit who was holding the child saw his comrade stumbling before him, he panicked and halted on his feet.

"Stop!" the bandit yelled, turning to Naruto before holding a kunai against the child's throat. "S-Stay there or I'll kill t-this boy!" he threatened, the boy then started crying.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata finally caught up with the blonde ninja and to her horror, she saw the bandit threatening to kill the child. "How terrible."

Naruto clenched his fists. By the way the bandit reacted nervously, he figured that he probably doesn't know how to fight and he came to a conclusion that he's the one opening the portal. If so, he will need to use his hands to weave a sign first before he can open a portal, that will give him a second to snatch the child and knocked the guy out. Naruto looked down at his prosthetic hand, realizing that he doesn't have full control of it yet, seeing what damage it did to the unlucky bandit earlier. If he get caught in the moment of rescuing the child, he might end up killing this guy.

As he was having an inner conflict, he felt Hinata's chakra suddenly flaring up beside him. "I'll never forgive you for raising a knife on that child," she spat, surprising Naruto at the firmness on her tone. He turned his head sideways to look at the Hyuga heiress and as he saw conviction on her face, Sai's word rang in his ears.

 ** _"Lovestruck."_**

Naruto smirked. Yeah. He was definitely Lovestruck, whatever it means. Turning back at their foe, Naruto cracked his knuckles and said, "Let's teach this guy a lesson..Hinata."

"Hmp!" Hinata nodded.

"S-Step back!" The bandit yelped, getting more nervous as Naruto took a step towards him, a menacing smirk plastered on the ninja's face. "I s-said step back!" He yelled, raising the kunai to strike it down the child's chest but the next things happened so fast.

"Byakugan!"

The bandit went paralyzed for just a second and when he recovered, the blonde ninja had already snatched the kunai and the child from his arms. His eyes widened as he leaned back, trying to move away from Naruto's attack. But Naruto wasn't planning on punching him, instead he just give the enemy a smirk before moving out of the way, revealing Hinata whose hand were set to pierce the bandit with her gentle fist.

"HIYAAH!"

The guy went tumbling on the ground, cold but only unconscious.

"That will make you out for atleast a day," Hinata said, staring down at the unconscious bandit.

Naruto smiled, admiring the sight of the Byakugan princess standing in a stance that showed grace and strength.

.

.

The rest of the team finally rejoined them. Sakura took the child from Naruto and quickly checked up on him, good thing the child was just asleep, probably exhausted. Kiba informed that Sai already held the bandits tied and secured. Everyone felt relieved at the success of their mission, and as they decided to head back home, Hinata finally felt fatigue washed over her body. Her legs buckled but before she fell down on her knees, a strong arm caught her by her waist.

"Naruto-kun." she muttered tiredly, voice totally hoarse from exhaustion.

"You did great, Hinata."

"Thank you." Hinata blushed, trying to stand back on her feet. But to her and to the other's surprised, Naruto hoisted her up on his back, securing her legs on his arms for a piggyback ride.

 **"Oi, Naruto!"** Kiba and Sakura called out, trying to save Hinata from the embarrassment and discomfort.

"What?" The blonde asked innocently. And Kiba and Sakura could not find the words to tell him that that's not a proper way to handle someone who has a crush on you since a very long time ago.

"Na-Na-Naruto-kun, I c-can still-"

"Nah, I can sense that you've used up all your chakra so just sit back and relax, Hinata. I can carry you home like this." Naruto said, turning over his shoulder to flash her that infamous grin of his, totally ignoring Hinata's super embarrassed state.

"B-B-But-"

"Ah, stop rambling Hinata. Just put your head on my shoulder and rest."

"P-P-Put my head-"

"Yup! You can wrap your arms around my neck so you won't fall too!"

"W-W-Wrap my a-a-arms-"

"And oh when we get back to Konoha, I'll take you out for some ramen."

"T-T-Take m-me o-out-"

Hinata was already near detonation.

Naruto just trailed on with a wide grin.

The rest of their team just shook their heads at them.

.

.

.

A cold evening wind blew pass an open window and into the room of Uzumaki Naruto. The sleeping ninja moaned, shifting on his bed, muttering something incoherent as he went back deep into his sleep. Beside his bed, pinned on the wall, a paper gently fluttered against the evening breeze coming from the window, it was a piece of paper with a hand sketch portrait of Hinata Hyuga in her new mission uniform.

* * *

So that was the first arc! THANKS TO MY REVIEWERS! rlynn013, RavenShadow, qyu, JD, Danny Williams & Ludicc

HOPE YOU STICK AROUND!

 **NEXT CHAPTER!**

Not wanting to attend the clan meeting, Hinata decided to go on a secret mission.

Naruto, on the other hand, just came back from another mission. But Kakashi wanted him to sit down and catch up on his Hokage lessons. As Naruto tried to escape somewhere to relax, he bumped into Hinata. And he just can't keep his hands off Hinata's business.

 **Chapter 3 SECRET MISSION...to the BathHouse!**

 **PLEASE REVIEW! IT MAKES ME SMILE LIKE THIS! ^_^**


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry for the late update. BUSY LIFE and lack of muse! :(

Anyways, here is a new chap!

* * *

 **Chapter 4 A Secret Mission...to the Hot Spring?!**

.

.

"Naruto-niichaaaaan! Stop running-kure!"

Naruto hissed, picking up his pace as he ran around the streets of Konoha village. He was starting to get a little annoyed as Konohamaru kept chasing him around. Coming back from a week long mission, Naruto was still in a mood for his third bowl of ramen when the scarf wearing squirt came rushing to Ichiraku's and demanded him to report back at the Hokage's office. After being sent to a series of missions, Kakashi decided to have him sit with an elder right after he finished his mission today so he could catch up with his Hokage lessons.

 ** _"You're falling behind schedule so we need to speed things up."_ **were Kakashi's exact words.

But Naruto, though he have grown up a lot, was still full of mischief and could not keep great interest in seating with an elder for long hours of reading and studying.

Sneaking out from the study, Naruto thought that he'd be spared for today but Kakashi was persistent. He sent Konohamaru to go chase him and bring him back to the Hokage mansion. Bribing the young shinobi by considering this order as an actual S rank mission to which the brat agreed with great enthusiasm.

The two jumped over, skid under and continue the chase around the village, earning startled gasps and curious looks from the villagers they had passed by.

"You can't get away from me!" Konohamaru yelled as he continued to pursue the blonde jinjiruki.

Naruto smirked at that, he knew all too well that Konohamaru was one persistent boy, who shared the same ninja way as his - Never giving up. But experience was Naruto's edge against the younger shinobi. Rounding a corner, Naruto finally saw a chance to mislead his assailant. A horse carriage happened to be passing by so he leaped over it and weaved a hand sign on the air. "Kage bunshin no jutsu!"

The younger shinobi did not hear the jutsu being casted and as he prepared to leaped over the carriage, multiple blonde shadow clones suddenly appeared and all were jumping down at him.

"What the-" Surprised, Konohamaru tried to weave the same hand sign but Naruto's clones were already crashing down upon him, grinning evilly. "Hu-Hu-Huwaaaaaaahhhh!"

Naruto grinned as his clones tackled the boy down. "Sorry, Konohamaru. But I'm not in the mood for studying today." he said, placing a hand on his hips. "You can tell Kakashi-sensei that-"

"AAAARRRGGGHHH! I am not letting you get away!" The boy shouted, emitting a strong flare around him.

 _'Gah! This squirt is serious.'_ Naruto shuddered as his shadow clones puffed into smoke one by one. And before all of them could disappear, he summoned another batch and quickly dashed away.

"Naruto-niichaaaaaaannnnn!"

Hearing the boy's war cry, Naruto realized that now is really a time to ditch the boy seriously. He entered sage mode and bolted away. He saw a crossing up ahead, to the left is the way to his apartment but it was obvious that he could not go home just yet, so he maneuvered his body and went full speed on his right when suddenly...

.

.

.

Hinata poked her head from behind their mansion's gates and saw that the street was empty. She then turned to look back at their mansion and luckily nobody was around either. Hinata heaved in a deep breathe before finally stepping out into the streets. She walked slow at first, picking up her face with every step until she was jogging and finally running off. Once she made a good distance away from their house, she rounded a corner and finally let out the breathe she was holding off for a long time.

Sighing in relief, the black haired konuichi adjusted her backpack over her shoulder and continue on her walk when suddenly...

.

"Hinata!"

Turning on her left, Hinata saw that all too familiar mop of blonde hair coming, er- dashing towards her. He was coming so fast that Hinata could only manage to widen her eyes and wait for the impact...that didn't happen because Naruto had suddenly swept her off her feet and carried her away with him.

Hinata snapped her eyes open, which she could not even remember closing. "N-Naruto-kun?"

Before she could finished her question, Naruto had landed on his feet and sneaked into a dark alleyway. He moved so swiftly as he placed her down, and pressed a finger against her lips. "Ssshhh..." he said, poking his head a little from behind the wall to scan the streets. He was too engrossed with hiding, he didn't realized the scenario he put themselves in.

Hinata was trying very very VERY hard to keep her body, heart, mind and soul from exploding. Naruto had pinned her against the wall, his finger pressed against her lips obviously to keep her mouth shut, and his other hand was resting on her shoulder perhaps to keep her in place. He was standing dangerously close, her chest was almost toughing his. Its the closest they've ever been face to face, and Hinata could feel her heart throbbing so so painfully hard, yet she wasn't hurting. Not at all!

"Phew! That was close." Naruto sighed in relief after seeing Konohamaru running in the other direction, chasing one of his shadow clones. He pulled away from 'the wall' and straightened on his back, placing a hand on his hip with his head still turned towards the entrance of the small alleyway.

"N-N-N-Na..."

The blonde ninja perked as he heard a stutter beside him. Turning his head, he noticed the Byakugan eyed girl and gasped at her. "Oh Hinata, I'm sorry! I was running at you full speed and I couldn't stop so I figured I'd just picked you up. You're very light anyway, hehe!" Naruto grinned apologetically, rubbing the back of his head.

"E-Eh?" Hinata squeaked, trying to put on a smile but failed miserably as her whole body was still shaking. Though she was not being pinned anymore, she still pressed herself hard against the wall, like her life depended on it.

"Are you alright?" Naruto asked innocently, causing Hinata to slightly regain herself back. He sure was too preoccupied with escaping from Konohamaru that he got totally unaware of the scenario they were in just a while ago. And that somewhat made Hinata felt relieved. "Hinata, you're really red." Naruto gasped once again, his face suddenly panicked. "Were you sick?! Did I make you sick?! Gaaah! I'm so sorry, Hinata! I'll-"

"No, no. no. I'm fine, Naruto-kun. I'm not sick," Hinata quickly defended, pushing herself away from the wall.

"Are you sure?"

"Hmm!" Hinata nodded. Finally regaining herself, she gave the blonde ninja her most sincere and reassuring smile to let him know that she was really feeling okay. She's feeling good, better actually now that she had seen him. That pretty smile didn't go unnoticed by the blonde hero. He blushed, slightly looking away as he rubbed his nape. "Anyway, why are you running around the village? Is there an emergency or something?" she inquired.

Naruto's face contorted as he remembered, "Well, I just came back from a mission but Kakashi-sensei wants me to sit down and study with an elder. I tried but I got very hungry, so I used a shadow clone to stay with the elder then I sneaked out to eat some Ramen. But my shadow clone got bored as well so he disappeared, that's why Kakashi-Sensei found out that i sneaked and sent Konohamaru to bring me back to the Hokage mansion. "

 _"Naruto-kun still full of mischief."_ Hinata sweatdropped, visualizing his story inside her head.

"Haaayyy...Kakashi-Sensei can't cut me some slack." The blonde finished, slumping his shoulder down before quickly perking up at the Byakugan eyed girl. "What about you? You're wearing your mission gear? Are you heading for a mission?"

"Eh?!" Hinata looked startled. "U-Uhm...actually...you see..." She blushed, avoiding the blonde's curios gaze. She was already feeling guilty for lying to her father so she can't use her Lie Card again for maybe a century. Since it's Naruto, maybe she could tell him the truth. She trusted him more than anyone. "Actually," she started. "I am going for a secret mission."

Naruto blinked.

"A SECRET MISSIIIOOONNN?!" Being the over extroverted ninja that he is, Naruto got a little too excited about the word secret and mission combined together, he blurted out louder than expected. Hinata was having doubts now about trusting him with secrets...well, slightly.

"Na-Naruto-kun, don't be so loud please." Hinata squeaked. Naruto quickly noticed her fidgeting nervously so he quickly closed his mouth. But it really did piqued his interest, so he prodded.

"Why is only Team 8 chosen for this secret mission, huh? That's unfair. I haven't heard of any secret missions before."

 _"Because it's a secret.'_ Hinata thought, smiling awkwardly.

"I haven't been sent in one either. Are they doubting my skills of keeping a secret mission a secret? I can keep secrets, you know?" Naruto placed a finger on his chin. "Like that one time Shikamaru told me not to tell anyone that the real reason why he got delayed from finishing his last mission was because he and Temari went out for a date in a town next to the sand village. "

"Eh?!"

Naruto nodded. "Yes, and Choji also told me his secret plans on courting this girl from Kumogakure. I even know Rock Lee's secret shampoo was actually the same one you use for horses and- "

"Naruto-kun!"

"What?" Naruto had his head tilted on the side, a total look of cluelessness was written all over his face until his eyes slowly widened. "Crap! Hinata-please-don't-tell-anyone-that-I-told-you-about-the-secrets-that-everybody-told-me-not-to-tell-anyone! Please! Please! Please! Hinata please!" Naruto said in one breathe, sweating profusely at that major slip of the tongue.

"Of course. I promise I won't tell anybody. It will be our secret."

"Oh Thanks Hinata." Naruto sighed in relief. "I knew I could trust you." He added, smiling down at her. Hinata felt the butterflies danced around her stomach, knowing that she shared something in common with the blonde ninja made her feel happy and flattered.

"Still, I could not believe I still haven't accomplished all kinds and ranks of mission." Naruto whined.

"D-Don't be sad, Naruto-kun. It's not a team mission anyway. It's not a big deal." Hinata tried to suit his hurt ego but soon realized that it just put her in a bigger trouble.

"You mean you will go on this secret mission alone?" Naruto's expression quickly shifted from childish to serious. He looked her straight in the face, eyes burning with something that Hinata could not figure out yet. There was definitely anger, but not much. It's something more, something more like...concern? "Why would they sent you out for a mission all by yourself? I know that the nations were at peace now but that did not guarantee that evil had totally vanished. There are still hideous men lurking around, outside the village."

"Ahm-"

"I know each and every ninja in this village is very capable and strong but if you got outnumbered there are still possibilities of someone getting hurt."

"But-"

"Teams are made for a purpose."

"Actually-"

"That's why..." Naruto balled his hand into a fist.

"Aha! There you are!" Konohamaru suddenly appeared at the small gap on the alleyway, weaving his hands as he casted his spell and soon multiple shadow clones appeared from behind him and some more shadow clones appeared on the other side of the alleyway, blocking the exits and cornering the two older ninjas inside. "I know you're the real Naruto-niichan! You can't escape from me anymore-kore! I'll bring you back to the Hokage Mansion by hook or by crook! And I'm gonna complete my first S-rank mission!"

Naruto smirked. "Sorry, Konohamaru but I've an important mission too!" he said, and without warning he scooped Hinata in his arms again. "See yah" And just like the first time, Hinata got literally swept off her feet as the blonde hero leaped so high up into air to escape from the roof and bolted away, leaving another batch of his shadow clones behind to keep the persistent young shinobi from following him again.

A loud yell of "Naruto-niichaaaaaaaaannnnnn!" shook the entire town.

.

.

.

Hinata's hands tightened on the straps of her backpack, keeping her gaze down her feet. Naruto was walking ahead of her, hands locked behind his head in a laid back manner. She glanced up at him, even though his back was facing her, she could tell that he was wearing a mischievous grin. Back at the village's main gate, she was about to tell him the true reason behind this 'secret mission' and that it was not an actual secret, it was not even a mission. But Naruto got determined and somehow concerned about her going alone, so he insisted to come with her.

 _"Hinata, I want to complete all kinds of mission before I become the Hokage. So, I will come with you and we will accomplished this secret mission together."_ was Naruto's words back at the main gate. He looked so excited and determined plus he gave her a wink and that super adorable grin. Hinata can't say no to that, can she?

But still, she could atleast tell him the truth now while he still has time to change his mind and go back to the village.

"Naruto-kun?"

"Hm?" Naruto turned over his shoulder. Seeing the worried look on Hinata's face made him stopped on his tracks and turned fully at her. "What's up?"

"Ahm..."

Naruto saw her avoiding his gaze, looking on the side, holding a slightly closed fist near her chin with a light blush grazing her face. He just recently learned that it was a habit Hinata subconsciously do whenever she's embarrassed. Before, it made him impatient but now, seeing her this bashful made him blushed too.

 _'So cute.'_

"I'm sorry." Hinata finally said. "Naruto-kun, I'm not really going on an official mission. You see, I...Father arranged a clan meeting tonight but I don't want to attend this particular event because Hanabi told me that they will discuss something...important." She said the last word with a bit more meaning, but Naruto let it slipped as she explained further. "I told my father that I was given a secret mission so he agreed to excuse me from the meeting."

"You mean..."

"Yes, I lied to Father so I can sneaked out and visit an onsen," Hinata bowed from her waist to fully hide her face. "I'm really sorry for not telling you earlier, I got distracted by Konohamaru and all this chase. I appreciate you coming this far but if you don't want to go with me then I fully understa-"

"Are you kidding me!" Naruto blurted, making Hinata winced and kept her head down in shame. "Of course I'll go with you!"

"Eh?!" Hinata straightened and found him with a more than eager grin.

"I could use some relaxing too, you know. I was busy with missions and studies so this is great timing. Good thing, I bumped into you..." Naruto continued, blabbering about his aching muscles and how he's been wanting to have some relaxation for a while now. "And besides, I wouldn't want to pass this chance to go to a hot spring with you, Hinata."

He said, before realization hit them both.

The two of them blushed.

"I-I mean..I-I didn't mean, w-what I mean is that...t-that's not what I..." Naruto was beat red, flailing his arms around as he desperately tried to explain and remove any thoughts of malice in what he said. Hinata, on the other hand, walked ahead like a stiff log, her whole body was red as well, embarrassed and also happily surprised at what he said. "Hey H-Hinata, wait! Don't get the wrong idea! L-Listen to meeeee..."

.

.

.

After several hours of walking, the two finally reached the outskirts of town.

"Antler's Hot Spring." Naruto read the wooden signage, before turning to look around the entrance to a small and extremely quiet bath house in the middle of the forest. He could tell that the place was extremely old, however, the area looked clean. And a sweet scent of incense, tea and fresh forest breeze was emitting from the place. Still, no one seemed to be around. "Hey, Hinata. Are you sure this place is still operating? It's a bit old, don't you think?" he asked, locking his hands behind his head.

"Yes, it's the Antler's bath house. Mother was a friend of the owners. We used to come here when I was little and even until my academy years. But it's been a while since I last visited." Hinata closed her eyes as she sniffed in the sweet scent. "It does look old on the outside, but it's still nice inside."

The smile on her face brushed the skeptic thoughts off Naruto's head. He blinked and nodded, following the brunette as she made her way inside the inn.

"Good afternoon, sorry for intruding." Hinata softly called out, a minute passed and the fusuma door finally opened, revealing an old lady wearing an old style kimono. "Hello Grandma, how are you?."

The old lady's lips and eyes curved into a motherly smile as she looked up at the brunette,softening the old features on her face. "Ah, is that you, Hinata?"

"Yes, Grandma."

"My dear, it's been a while. You haven't visited us for so long." The old lady took Hinata's hands as if checking if she's real. "Where is Hanabi? Is Hiashi with you?"

"Sorry, Grandma. Father and Hanabi are not with me this time."

"Why is that? This is just some hours away from the village. How could he not pay us a visit more often? That father of yours must be getting really old."

Hinata smiled sheepishly at the old lady's comment.

"Mama, I heard we have a guest," A voice of an old man interrupted, appearing from the door. His back was a little hunch, making him to look as old and tall as his wife. And like the old lady, the man had the same soft smile upon seeing their guests.

"Grandpa, good afternoon. How are you doing?" Hinata greeted, bowing her head slightly.

"Ah, Hinata-chan. It's good to see you again," The old man replied, turning his gaze passed the brunette to look at the blonde ninja standing behind her. "I see you brought us a guest. Welcome."

"Good afternoon." Naruto bowed down. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto, nice to meet you."

Curiosity appeared on the old woman's face as he looked the blonde from head to toe, humming thoughtfully before she grinned and said. "I'm glad Hinata-chan found a good looking husband."

 **"Eh!"** The two ninjas stiffened, blushing in embarrassment.

"G-Grandma, h-he's not...w-we are not..." Hinata squeaked. Naruto just smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. He's way too fluttered to even try correcting the old lady's assumption.

"Ohoho, Mama, I don't think these two are married." The old man retorted. "They are still too young for that, right?" He added, patting Naruto on the shoulder. "But I'm glad young couples these days still go spending time together. It will help you know each other before committing to a more serious stage in your relationship. right Mama?"

"Definitely right, Papa."

"Well, sorry for being rude. We should not let you wait here outside. Come, come in. Mama will prepare your things."

Hinata tried to say something but the old couple was already going inside the inn, goading them to follow. She turned at Naruto and gave him an apologetic look, the blonde just smile and shrugged at her.

.

.

.

"I see." the old man said, placing a hand on his chin as if contemplating. "So you're saying that you and Hinata-chan are only friends and not a couple?"

Naruto, who was sitting on the tatami floor in front of him, nodded. The inside of the inn was completely different from what you might thought from the outside. It was really clean and well maintained. The garden has some picturesque view and the surroundings was also very comfortable and felt really home-like. The two men were in a small room opposite the garden where a soft sound of the bamboo water fountain can be heard tapping on the background. While Hinata was out in the kitchen to help the old lady prepare their dinner, Naruto explained their real status to the old man. It was not actually a big deal for him, but Hinata insisted that they tell the old couple the truth perhaps to avoid another embarrassing comments. He didn't seem to mind those comments though because he had learned that old people always seemed to make embarrassing remarks about the younger ones. And besides, being teased with Hinata made him somehow a little giddy.

"You must be very close friends then," the old man continued, getting the blonde's attention back to him. "Hinata-chan never brought a friend here before. She was always either alone, or with her family. Most of the time with just Hanabi-chan. It's the first time she invited a friend over."

Naruto smiled sheepishly. "Well, I wasn't invited at first. I just insisted to come with her."

"Is that so?" The old man laughed, making Naruto to blink at him in confusion. "You seemed like Hiashi. That boy used to do the same."

.

.

"Really?" Hinata asked with wide shining eyes, pausing on wiping the plates. She had told the old lady about the real status between her and Naruto and somehow their conversation ended up with the old lady telling stories about her father. "My father used to do that?"

The old lady chuckled. "Yes, Hiashi was full of mischief back then. When he was around 11 years old, he and your grandpa came here for the first time. That time, your mother and her family was also here. Your father decided to bathe very late that night but he mistakenly went to the ladies side and was very surprised to see your mother in there. I believe your father fell in love at first sight." A wide smile appeared on the old woman's face making Hinata to smile as well.

"Then what happened?"

"Your mother was furious of course but she could not tell her family about it. So she went to confide the incident to me instead and told me to keep it as a secret."

.

.

"Hiashi felt doomed, he could not tell anyone about it so he went to confess to me and convinced me to keep it as a secret." The old man continued, making Naruto leaned in with interest.

"Then what happened?"

The old man closed his eyes as if recalling that certain memory. "Of course I told him to apologize but it took him months to have the courage to speak to her. Hiashi was a loud mouth boy back then but when it comes to Hinata's mother, he seemed to become soft and bashful. During those months, Hiashi would always sneaked in the bath house in the middle of the night and checked if Hinata's mother was there."

"You mean Hiashi-san used to peak into Hinata's mother while she was bathing?!" Naruto blurted, blushing.

The old man laughed at him. "The first time I caught him, he almost passed out from embarrassment. But he explained that it's the only place he could speak to her alone since Hinata's mother shared a room with her family. That boy was persistent but had some strange ways of dealing with things."

"Really? Hiashi-san used to be like that huh." Naruto tried to imagine the strict Hyuga clan leader being mischievous and loud but could still not form the image on his head.

"Yes, eventually, Hiashi got the chance to talk to Hinata's mother. And through his persistence, he finally formed some sort of mutual understanding with Hinata's mother and soon won her heart."

.

.

.

"And the rest was history." The old lady placed the last bowl on the tray, gesturing Hinata to help her serve their dinner to the room where the two men were waiting.

"So, that's why mother loved this place so much. It holds many memories of him and father." Hinata commented.

"Yes. That's also why we could not shut this place down. Even if less and less people came here, saying that it is very old, Papa and I doesn't want to close this place. It's not only a precious home for us but this place also hold special moments and secrets of people like your mother and father. I hope someday Hinata-chan will also share some special moments in this place with a special someone." The old lady finished, walking ahead out from the kitchen.

' _Share special_ _memories in this place with a special someone,'_ Hinata repeated in her head and the face of a certain blonde ninja appeared in her mind, making her blush and smile at the same time.

.

.

"Naruto, I hope you return to this place again and share special memories with a special someone," The old man spoke in a strict fatherly like pose. The two women then appeared from the door. Naruto's gaze immediately turned at the brunette who was holding the tray of food and was also looking back at him.

' _Share special_ _memories in this place with a special someone,'_ Naruto smiled and Hinata smiled back.

"Sorry for waiting," The old lady said as she went to place the tray on the low dining table, Hinata following her.

"Wow, looks delicious!" Naruto licked his lip, staring at the different foods before them.

"It is really delicious. Since you are a new guest, Mama prepared something special tonight." The old man boasted.

"The walk here was long so I'm sure you must be starving. Thanks to Hinata-chan, I managed to prepare a lot." His wife added, settling down beside her husband who was sitting opposite the blonde ninja..

"Then I'm very sure that these tastes really good!" Naruto grinned as Hinata sat down beside him.

"Hinata-chan will make a good wife someday. What do you think, Naruto?"

"Yes!" was Naruto's quick reply. "I'm sure she will." He turned to Hinata and gave her a grin causing the female ninja to blush. Somehow this felt familiar.

"Well then, let's eat."

The old couple goaded the two ninjas to start with their food. Naruto being the first one to dig in. And as soon as he got his first bite, he got a little too excited and delved in, hastily putting fish, meat, vegetables, rice and everything on his mouth all at once, choking himself in the process. Hinata noticed him obviously struggling to breathe as he punched his chest, so she quickly offered a glass of water and lightly pat him on the back. When Naruto finally recovered, Hinata sighed in relief, scolding him gently to which the blonde responded with a sheepish smile and an apology.

The exchange did not go unnoticed by the old couple. They shared a look and smiled at one another.

.

.

Naruto let out a long sigh as he dipped his naked torso further down on the warm water on the open bath house, leaning on the stone edge so that he was slightly in a lying position.

 _'Feels so good...'_ he muttered, savoring the relaxing feeling of the warm water against his body.

He ran a hand to his already damp hair and stared up at the night sky. It was so peaceful and calm with only some owls and crickets chirping on the background. He could not remember the last time he had been this relax. It was really great timing that he had bumped into Hinata this afternoon or else he'd be in another dreading study session with an elder. Naruto could imagine the annoyance on Kakashi-sensei's face right now but he would deal with him later. For now, he will enjoy this warm relaxing feeling. If only, there's someone with him to enjoy this hot bath then it would really be perfect.

Unfortunately, it wasn't a mix hot spring and there's no other customer today except him and Hinata. After dinner, Hinata had stayed with the old lady and insisted to help her clean the dishes but it was almost like an hour ago. Naruto let out another long sigh, turning towards the wall on his right.

 _'I wonder if she's already in there.'_ he thought, then an image of Hinata formed in his head.

 _ **.**_

 _ **She was bathing herself opposite him, just behind the wooden wall between them. Her long hair floating around her shoulder, water dripping from her chin down her creamy neck, and her arms were crossed in front of her chest. She had that bashful blushed in her face as she turned to turn to him and said, "Naruto-kun.."**_

 _ **.**_

Blood spurted from Naruto's nose. He quickly cupped his nose and shook his head furiously.

"Crap! I think I've stayed here for so long, the heat starts to come to my head." He convinced himself, moving out of the water to rinse himself clean.

.

.

Wearing a white kimono, Hinata walked down the corridor to the hot spring with a wide smile on her face. She had been waiting for this the whole day, and now it's finally her time to relax and enjoy the warm water on the hot spring. But upon rounding the corner, she saw the old man standing on the doorway to the female hot spring and noticed a worried expression on his face. "What's the matter Grandpa?" she asked.

"Ah, I'm really sorry, Hinata-chan. But this side of the onsen cannot be used."

"What's the matter, Papa?" The old lady said, appearing from behind Hinata.

"Ah, the water in this side is not warming up. I need to go check it up from our backyard. But I think it will take time and can't be used for tonight."

"Oh that's unpleasant." The lady said sadly. "Well, if you don't mind you can use the other side."

"Yes, just wait here and I will check if Naruto had finished his bath."

Hinata nodded as the the old man walked past them.

.

.

"Achoo!" The wind started to get chilly when Naruto finally finished his bath. He then walked towards the small hut near the spring to dry himself and get dressed. Naruto saw a pair of gray kimono that the owners prepared for him to wear for the night. He eyed the clothe, realizing that it was his first time wearing the traditional dress and felt excited.

"Naruto-san?" The old man called softly against the door of the male's hot spring, before sliding it open to peak inside. Seeing no one on the hot spring, he quickly concluded that Naruto had already finished and left.

.

.

"Ah, Hinata chan, you can use the bath now. Nobody's in there."

"Okay. I'm sorry for the trouble, Grandpa." Hinata bowed slightly.

"Ah, don't mention it. This actually happened more often these past few days." The old man replied.

"Now, now, Hinata-chan. Go and take your bathe, Grandma will prepare some cinnamon tea for us to drink after."

"That's wonderful. Thank you Grandma."

Hinata chirped, excusing herself to the old couple and made her way to the other side of the hot spring. She entered quietly, humming softly to herself as she placed her towel on the cupboard. She clipped her hair up on the side like she normally do when bathing and started undressing, removing everything before wrapping herself with only a towel. The cold breeze brushed against her bare thigh as she stepped into the open spring. Not wasting any moment, Hinata stepped into the water and started to remove the towel from around her body.

.

"Not bad," Naruto hummed, liking how the old style dress looked on him. He felt like a samurai now, a ninja samurai. He can't wait to show himself to Hinata and wondered how would she react if she saw him in that dress. The thought excited him. He adjusted the strap around his waist and grinned before finally stepping out from the small hut.

But then, Naruto froze on his spot.

.

Hinata's towel was on its last turn, when a certain someone suddenly stepped out from the hut just opposite the hot tab. Her gaze snapped up at the person who shared the same shock expression as her.

"Kyaaaa!"

"AAhhh!"

.

The old couple perked, hearing that squeal and scream that definitely belonged to their guests. They looked at each and they both share a mischievous grin.

* * *

So, this is the first part for this 2 part shot. I wrote it in a rush so I hope you still like it.

PLEASE REVIEW! I need some motivations! hehe.


End file.
